


The Elf Prince

by NocturnaIV



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action & Romance, Awkward Romance, F/M, Kidge - Freeform, Monsters & Mana (Voltron), Prince Yurak, Romance, Slow Romance, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 03:36:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17480390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NocturnaIV/pseuds/NocturnaIV
Summary: “You're definitely not a princess.”Lance had been sure they would rescue a princess. Pidge had thought it would be an interesting adventure. But she never believed that things could end like this:A princess who turned out to be a handsome elf prince. She alone with him. And the skilful prince incredibly comfortable with invading her personal space. But for some reason that didn't bother her.





	The Elf Prince

**Author's Note:**

> This story was edited and reviewed by HappyGirl282. Thank you, sweet Merry.

“We're going to save a princess!” Lance shouted, raising his arms, the feline tail moving from side to side with enthusiasm, looking much more like a dog than a cat when that happened.

“Shouldn’t you be silent ...?” Hunk asked.

Pidge nodded, mentally doing a countdown from ten to zero. The entrance to the old dwarf mines was in front of them and surely, Lance had already given an unnecessary warning of their presence to all the enemies that were there. Her eyes followed the recent footprints that went into the dark mine and she had a feeling that things would not be easy. Although, they never were.

“Do you gave something, Pidge…?” Allura consulted quietly, the archer tried to sharpen her gaze. "Do you know how deep it is ...?"

“The dwarves have a good sense of orientation under the earth unless magic blocks us. And, I have worked in my family's mines since I was able to raise a peak.” Pidge commented, totally focused on the entrance to the place “I can see the design and my family seal. But I didn’t know we had an old mine in this place ...”

“Maybe is some lost and distant relative of yours who kidnapped the princess?” the thief asked, leaning on her shoulder, using her almost as a cane “A crazy cousin, perhaps? Surely crazy.”

“Lance!” Shiro shouted in that fatherly tone he liked to take with the whole team.

“No, we do not have crazy relatives.” she answered in a tense voice "But it will be easier to navigate this place if you follow my instructions.”

When Queen Krolia requested her help specifically for that mission, she had found it a curious thing. In fact, she was excited and concerned by equal degrees to realize that they were already known as a " _team_ ", although she couldn’t tell if they were heroes or disoriented adventurers with some kind of luck who had become famous for achieving the impossible. However, apparently they were just what the Xaset Clan needed; that and a dwarf who knew the mines. Actually, only that last one. Queen Krolia's messenger had made it clear that many clan scouts had been seriously injured in the mines, but not by the enemy, but by the security measures. And since Pidge was a direct descendant of the owners of that deadly trap, they hoped that she would have better luck.

The Xaset Clan had a curious magical power that few understood exactly. But apparently, they could increase the natural power of other people. The royal family was the most powerful, so it had been a matter of time before someone attempted a kidnapping. Therefore, Pidge's group was the rescue team. Lance was excited to know that they were going to rescue the person who would inherit the throne.

Because that meant rescuing a princess. Or so he said.

In addition, he hadn’t stopped bragging about how he would impress the princess when they found her, he would become the knight in shining armor for her. Which was hilarious considering they had a Shiro, who was a paladin trained on the seven levels of honorable knights against ... a thief.

“Hunk, we'll need your new spell, the _dancing sparks_ , to light the way.” Pidge asked “Shiro and I will go first as a precaution, then Lance and finally Hunk with Allura.” her eyes sought the paladin to confirm her strategy and he nodded with a hint of pride.

“Why should you go first ...?” the thief asked, surprised.

“Mainly because the mines are mostly corridors.” explained the paladin.

“So the attacks can only come from the front and we would take the most damage.” Pidge completed, tapping her heavy armor.

The group nodded and proceeded into the mine. They quickly left behind the green of the forest and the natural light. Like many mines in her family, it had a narrow descent that cooled the bones. The marks of her inheritance were everywhere, as indicative of dwarven nobility. Meanwhile, Hunk's dancing sparks served well to light the way and her eyes observed all the information she could get. When the time came, she would have to tell her brother about this, so they could find a plan to recover the place. Of course, after removing the wizards who had temporarily appropriated the mine for their strange rituals that included the kidnapping of the nobility. Pidge withdrew her war gauntlets and slid her fingers through the stone on the wall, feeling for a few seconds in the past, part of the dwarf mining, following the veins and spending much of the time figuring out the best way to extend the tunnels to get the most out of the material. Although she had enjoyed the peaceful times working into plans and calculations, she had to admit that her life of adventure was pleasant.

The wall was a curious bluish stone that shone lightly, of which she had only read in old records and which surely her ancestors had taken a long time to preserve as a source of natural light.

“Wait ...” she raised her hand to stop the group and observed a division of corridors.

“A trap…?” Lance asked, peering over her to see, as he rested his fingers with sharp claws on the shoulder pads of hers armor.

She prayed that this time he wouldn’t scratch the material.

“No .. Not exactly.” she clarified “That corridor leads to a camera that is used to leave trash, it’s like a cliff. A bad step and we could fall.” she pointed to the corridor “Do you notice that the curvature is slightly different ...?”

All denied.

“Good thing you're with us.” Hunk thanked “Your family is subtle.”

“There is no better attack than the one that is not expected.” Allura said “Elegant and ethereal.”

“Everything is in the details.” Pidge teased and they kept walking.

The rest of the way was small moments when they had to stop to change direction. The mines of her family had quite drastic protective measures to avoid the most expert thieves. They didn’t have exactly preventive traps, but ... terrible roads to perdition. An all or nothing to protect their investigations. Actually, she was surprised that the explorers of the Xaset clan had managed to find the way out. They had Allura and her recent emergency arrow, which opened a portal to a safe area. Even in the worst scenario, they could be saved. Nevertheless, most people who entered there couldn’t run with the same fate. How had the wizards managed to get that mine ...?

Her doubts continued ... until the earth temble.       

No, it didn’t tremble. It rumbled. Pidge opened her eyes in surprise as she recognized the way the place shifted beneath her feet.

“What's going on?” Hunk shouted.

“The mine is collapsing!” the dwarf said, looking over her shoulder and then at Shiro “The mission ...”

They really had to rescue the innocent person who had been kidnapped, but she didn’t think they would have too much time. The paladin must have thought the same thing, because he started running to hasten the rescue. After all, the archer could get them out of there in no time.

The plan wasn’t complete madness. At least not, until they reached a wide gallery that was collapsing and they found a large bluish black wolf running in their direction and behind the animal a thin figure hooded with the red and black colors of the Xaset Clan.

An enormous stone collided in the middle of the gallery, the figure jumped nimbly on it as if it didn’t measure several feet and they observed them from the highest part, taking out two short swords. The wolf reached the unknown person and growled in the direction of the group.

“Yurak?” Shiro asked, although his voice was silent by the collapse.

The figure tensed. The stones began to fall quickly and the place proved to be the epicenter of the collapse. Pidge was separated from the group by a large stone, leaving her much closer to the unknown figure. When she looked over her shoulder, she noticed that everyone was willing to keep taking risks to save the princess. But if her calculations were correct ...

“Allura! Open the portal and use it!”

“But…!”

“And then throw me the arrow before you leave.” she pointed to a side corridor "We will take refuge there.” She explained and looked at the figure “Your mother sent us.”

“Pidge!” Cried Hunk. "We can’t leave you here!"

“There must be another way!” Lance assured, trying to jump near them, but another landslide forced him to move away.

“You have to trust me.” she looked at Shiro “Please.”

An eternal second passed. Another piece of the roof collapsed just where the rest of their group was standing, but they turned away in time. Fortunately, the archer was reasonable, tensed the bow and launched the magic arrow as close as possible, opening the portal and giving her time to retrieve the projectile to throw it to Pidge, who caught it before it was lost in the rubble.

“Remember…!”

Allura's voice drowned at the collapse, but she nodded, pretending to listen so the elf could take the portal.

“We must go there.” Pidge commanded the hooded figure and pointed to the small corridor.

The person doubted, but they didn’t have time for that. Surely Queen Krolia would understand if she returned to her offspring with a bump on their head and with a few bruises ...

But the wolf ran to her and stopped at her feet. The huge yellow eyes stared at her before it threw itself into her hand. For a second, Pidge thought it would bite her, but was surprised to feel the creature give her a long lick on the bare skin of her palm. She blinked in surprise, much more when the figure ran to her direction securing the weapons and completely eliminating the threatening posture. Without time, they avoided the landslides until approaching the dark corridor. While Pidge led the race, with the wolf running at her side. Surely it must believe that all this was a game.

“Watch out!”

That voice was...?

A push from behind sent her straight into the dark corridor. The sound of a huge stone rumbled behind them. As they rolled down the stairs in a scandalous way because of her heavy armor. For a moment, she felt like a fish inside a barrel, bouncing from side to side inside, all that metal was supposed to protect her, until her back hit the ground. She could also hear her helmet slipping away from her reach and judging by the freedom she felt in her right foot, she had lost a boot. Pidge could bet that her garment was somewhere on the stairs she had shaken with her elegant descent. She would recover the boot when she could confirm that she had nothing broken.

The whining of the wolf broke her soul when she realized that it had probably been injured in the fall and when something light fell on her, she assumed that it was the animal, due to the huge yellow eyes that stared at her, lighting up in the darkness. Her hand sought the creature's fur to calm it and she was surprised to find it incredibly soft between her fingers. The wolf better distributed the weight on her, as if it thought it was going to crush her. Her. Pidge, with his heavy armor and...

“My ax ... " she murmured nervously when her free hand didn’t find it where it should be.

Since she had started that adventure, she had never separated from it.

The yellow eyes moved, searching for something. Her fingers found the animal's ear, she was surprised at the lack of fur, how delicate it was, and how it pulsed under her touch like a small heart. The eyes quickly returned to meet her with some alarm, but she couldn’t help but caress the animal. She had always felt a weakness spot for creatures like dogs, wolves and some foxes.

“Eh …”a male voice cleared his throat before continuing “Your ax is a feet away from us.”

The wolf was talking...?

Impossible.

Suddenly something similar to Hunk's lights appeared on the side.

That was not the wolf...

“And you're definitely not a princess.” the dwarf murmured in amazement.

“Excuse me…?”

The hood must have fallen off and now she could see her already-not-so-mysterious-person. Because over her was a young man from the Xaset Clan, with black hair pulled back in a mullet, with violet skin and with ears very similar to those of Allura and other elves. The man had delicate features but a fierce look, of an intense golden color. Even so, she noticed the blush in him, she was more intrigue of the way he watched her without understanding what was happening. And only then did she realize that her fingers were still in the contour of the male ear, carelessly caressing the edge of it between her thumb and forefinger as if trying to guess by touch the reason for the ma's accelerated pulse.

“Sorry.” she let go “I thought you were your wolf.”

Surely that was not the best way to start a conversation.

“Wolf, princess ... you say many things that I am not.” the stranger pointed out.

“Well… You are the crown prince Yurak, son of Queen Krolia, of the Xaset Clan of the dark elves.” she understood; son, she wanted to see Lance's face when he noticed that his princess was a handsome elf “Your mother sent us to ... " her eyes were distracted by the dancing lights next to them and noticing that they had some elegance “Do you do magic? Are you a sorcerer ...? Maybe a wizard?” she looked at him with emotion "A warlock?”

“You keep saying a lot of things that I'm not.” the prince continued “Elves can handle a certain degree of natural magic.” he explained  "Although, the dark elves and the dwarves almost don’t need illumination to see in the partial darkness. Right?”

“Please, tell me that doesn’t mean you're going to turn off the lights. This place is in complete gloom.” Pidge said.

“Maybe I'll do it if you keep distracting yourself instead of explaining to me the presence of your friends and yourself.” the prince Yurak moved his free hand so that the lights would rise and in that way the elvish face would remain between shadows, while her was exposed to light. “No distractions, warrior.”

“I won’t hurt you.” Pidge defended herself “Nor any of my friends.”

“At least I'm sure of you. Cosmo ... let's say he trusts you.” the amber eyes over her narrowed “My mother sent you?”

“Yes, these mines formerly belonged to my family.” from her position on the ground she looked around, surely they had lost all the tunnels with that collapse.

As always, in an all or nothing.

Maybe the prince or his captors had activated the final defense of the mine. A total collapse.

Or partially total, because after all, they were alive.

“Your mother sent us to save you.” she repeated “How long have you been here?”

The prince straightened only a little over her. In fact, he had settled in such a way that he had her immobilized on the floor, but without actually touching her. The golden eyes were momentarily deviated and when she followed the path she noticed the presence of the stealthy wolf reaching them. In his mouth, he wore the boot she had lost and watched them curiously, as if waiting for his turn to snuggle with her.

“Maybe two weeks ...” the prince meditated and slid his fingers over her face, he touched her just in the reddish marks under her eyes and she could feel the blush on her cheeks “These marks are similar to that race in the shape of animals, but you are a dwarf”

He meant those like Lance. As far as she knew, they could have different traits that went hand in hand with their personalities. Therefore, Lance was the kind of feline who liked to tease and take things away from others. She had even seen him purr when he liked someone.

“They are tattoos, marks that indicate what my family is.” she explained and then narrowed her eyes. "Prince Yurak, do you plan on keeping this position for long? Not that I complain ... I think.”

“For now, it seems the most prudent.” the elf explained without flinching. "Your eyes are curious, right? If I cover your visual field, I will get better information because you will concentrate on our conversation.” he observed around “How did you know that this place would not collapse?”

“Maybe you've felt the warm temperature here.” she arched enough to look behind them, at the back wall “This is an artificial vent. The shape of the door was unmistakable. At least for me. Below us, several meters below, a river of lava must flow that was used for the forges. The rest of the mine was a single construction that was supported from a central point. This chamber is formed independently, to protect the river.” she observed with a radiant smile "And now it can protect us until we can leave.”

“But the mine collapsed.”

“I have our exit ticket.” she showed him the magic arrow “You saw my friend use it.”

“The archer.” The prince raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, this arrow opens a portal where we want to go. What it means: Get out of here.”

“So, it wasn’t impulsively that you launched to save me.” the prince reasoned “You did it with a plan.”

“Always” she approaches to the face hidden between shadows and to the golden eyes “Now could you retire so that I can activate it?”

The dark elf approached her, slid like a predator over her body and Pidge almost lost her balance. However, the prince didn’t seem interested in intimidating her or stealing her personal space. It almost looked like it was the most normal thing in the world to be this close. Moreover, without mentioning the casual contact about her tattoos, she frankly hadn’t felt uncomfortable, or she would have thrown him across the place until he was pressed against the wall. The prince was only interested in the arrow, observed the faint glow it emanated and then denied.

“It must be reload.” the prince explained the prince “Maybe in a few hours.”

“How do you know?”

“My mother educated me to read magic. Although I am more a warrior.”

“I saw you with the swords and surely you used them against your captors.”

“I just waited a moment of carelessness to attack.” He sat down, finally giving her space between them. “They were trying to summon a celestial dragon.”

“In a mine ...?” she asked alarmed.

“They weren’t the brightest kidnappers.” he commented shrewdly.

Pidge contained a small laugh. Maybe was the prince who activated the destruction of her family mine, but she definitely preferred that to a celestial dragon collapsing it.

“Perhaps it's too late for this.” the elf commented “But thanks for saving me ...”

“Pidge.” she offered “My friends call me that.” she explained “In our group we all use nicknames.”

“Why?”

“Because, according to Lance, my real name, Meklavar, is bigger than me.” she commented without really being offended “Pidge is compact, like me.”

“You're a dwarf, you're supposed to be small and strong.” the prince reached out and she accepted the offer to sit down, the contrast of the violet skin was fascinating, it reminded her of the early hours of the night “But if you want me to call you that, I will.”

For a moment, they were silent. He without really letting go. The wolf approached them and settled into her lap, giving her boot as an offering, almost surprising her. Yurak clutched his hand more securely, looking at her analytically. The dancing lights in the celling illuminated them perfectly to notice that the prince was as intrigued as she was, looked at her in the same way that she would observe a vein of diamonds that she needed to extract with care. Maybe physical contact was common for dark elves, in the case of Allura, she was a naturally affectionate person. Therefore, that possibility could exist. Cosmo looked for her free hand and returned to licking her fingers, before returning to full calm in her lap.

“You can call me Keith” the prince said, staring at the wolf, so that she was slow to understand that he was addressing her person. "If it seems good to you."

Pidge nodded. The nickname seemed curious, but simple to remember. If she looked at the dark elf, there was some strength and firmness in his features that would definitely go hand in hand with a name like ‘ _Keith_ ’. She looked around and took a deep breath, feeling the warm atmosphere surrounding them. It wasn’t going to be anything dangerous levels, because the room was huge, but her armor was definitely cooking her very slowly.

“Does something bother you?” the prince ventured to say.

“The metal of my armor is heating up”

“Allow me.” he approached her, he was again too close as if it were something common among them “Cosmo bothers you?”

“No” she assured, feeling as the safe of her armor opened and could get rid of the garment in her upper part “Maybe I bother your wolf.”

“You never would.” Keith swore softly. "This armor is quite heavy.”

“Need help?” she asked, being careful with the wolf in her lap to open the clasps that held the protectors of her legs.

“No ...”

She listened to the armor falling behind her and Keith's voice returned to its normal tone.

“But I think I gave it a couple of extra dents.”

“Don’t worry, It didn’t have much salvation.” Pidge calmed, stretching his body free and feeling the comfort of the simple cotton clothes that she used to wear under the armor. "Well ..."she sighed. "That's better."  her fingers traced the fur of the wolf in her lap, while her eyes watched the construction. "I don’t know much about the dark elves.” she acknowledged “But would the high temperature bother you?”

“I don’t think so...” the prince thought  “My people are nocturnal and like yours, we live underground, in caves.” for a moment it seemed that he was going to hold her hand again, but he held back “I think you would like where I live.”

Pidge watched him curiously. She didn’t know him, but she had the impression that he himself was impressed by the passion in his words. She slid her fingers through her hair to generate a little freshness on the back of her neck. Pidge was an observer, of a curious nature who had launched her into adventure. On her way she had learned many things, among those that, people able to free themselves from their own captors and draw weapons as a first response to the unknown, didn’t change so radically from behavior.

If her memory was correct, when Cosmo licked her hand the first time, the prince decided to trust her immediately. The animal seemed calm in her lap, as if he had found an oasis, very different from the battle beast she had seen. Master and wolf were incredibly similar.

“This wolf ...” Pidge said  “Is your companion?”

Keith smiled approvingly and with some pride at her discovery. As if, her moment of brilliance was a reason for celebration for him.

Curious…

“Exactly.” He slid his fingers down the side of the animal's back, looking at him with a tender affection that moved her. "The royal family has companion animals; we created an empathic connection with them. Cosmo is an extension of me in the same way that I am of him. We take care of each other. Companions can feel who are closest to us, who could be enemies or our compatible partners”

“Fascinating” Pidge watched the animal with interest. "That's why you knew you could trust me? Because Cosmo saw me as an ally.”

“Something like that ...” the prince looked away “The important thing is that he is right.”

She smiled amused.

“I'm your dwarf in a battered and nothing shining armor that came to save you.” she teased “Who only managed to keep us locked in a small low flame oven.”

“I don’t see it that bad. You have saved us with your swift mind. I could not ask for better ...” he cut himself  “…savior”

 “Aren’t you used to being with other people?” Pidge asked, and then shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I mean ... Before I left my kingdom I only talked to my family and I wasn’t good at dealing with other people. So I can see some of that imprudence in you.” she smiled to encourage him “I don’t see it as something bad, frankness is a great virtue.”

“I have always been very reserved. As the next inherited from my clan, I have always been on the defensive, preparing myself for attacks, deceptions and betrayals.” he looked at her in a light personal battle where, apparently, trusting her overcame “For a long time, the dark elves refused to deal with other races, feeling superior. Nevertheless, when the new generations began to be born weak and sickly, an ancestress consulted with the oracles and they ruled that it was necessary to look for couples of other races, to take that strength and ability that the new blood could give us. My ancestress married a powerful sorcerer who introduced the companion animals to the royal family, assuring them that they would always find the ideal mate for their masters and that would strengthen the blood of the clan.”

“Curious ...” Pidge commented “Being so reserved, it must have been difficult to find couples of other races.”

“It was a slow process but our companions were there to help us.” Keith explained, rubbing Cosmo's fur “Our clan has always trusted the royal family, they are very devoted.”

“Then ... Why did you talk about deceits and betrayals against you?”

“Because it's a matriarchal clan.” he answered “The royal family can only have one child and has always been a woman, until I was born. Time passed and without finding my partner, there were people who believed that if I died, my parents could have the daughter the clan expected.”

Pidge opened his eyes in surprise and felt the incredible desire to wield her ax and use it to behead some heads. That was incredibly unfair.

“I prepared to leave the clan, the security of the nobility, in search of my destined partner. But when I left our territory ...” he raised his hands around to explain the point.

“Those wizards knew these mines ... the mines of my family.” she commented with a frown.

“And surely they were hired by the people who wanted to erase me from the perfect family line.” he observed to the stairs by which they had rolled “I can’t believe that I am going to say this, but I hope that someone survived to interrogate them.” the prince's fingers closed on the hilt of one of the short swords.

“I think our goal is one in common.” she extended her hand to him. "We can work together. I need to know how they knew about the mine and the security measures.”

“It will be an honor to be with you”

She looked at him, surprised by the curious selection of words. Keith shook her hand firmly and felt a faint chill go through her. The way he looked at her was intense, luminous and in a way, no one had ever seen her before. Even in such a large chamber, it felt as if the space was small and intimate.

“You have the hands of a warrior.” Keith commented and his tone lacked any criticism.

“I'm the best fighter in three dwarf kingdoms.” she looked as he observed the tips of her fingers, the places with scars or roughness for grabbing her heavy weapon “I've never been able to limit myself to do one thing. My mother didn’t approve of putting me in danger, so I participated disguised as a man.”

“It must have been difficult ...” he looked at her, still sliding his fingers between hers.

“Not really, the armor makes me look heavier and the helmet hid my features.” she shrugged “For most of my competitors, it was easier to believe that a man had humiliated them. However, when I claimed my third tournament, I revealed who I was.” she clenched her fists, catching Keith's hand in the act without wanting it “I couldn’t hide who I was. The dwarves are patriarchal, and although my family has always treated us as equals to my brother and me, I realized that I should give an example to others girls who didn’t run with the same fate or who had been told that weapons were not for them” she smiled proudly “The two-handed ax is the weapon par excellence among the dwarves and I was the best. In three kingdoms! Even the kings had to admit that I was the best. Put me in risk earned me a great scolding from my mother, but it also came to her understanding that the only way I could protect myself from the world wasn’t to set myself apart, but to let me change the world.”

“You're amazing, Pidge.” the prince commented, as direct and implacable as always  “I hadn’t thought... Before the rejection of my people I locked myself, I disinterested in my environment. If they didn’t want me as their king, I didn’t want to rule them either. But you ...” he looked at her with respect. "You, on the other hand, are changing things. You have given me much to think about, you would be a great queen.”

She gave a hearty laugh.

“I'll put it on my to-do list.” Pidge teased. “Retrieve my family's jewel, help Hunk with his villa and become a queen. Easy.”

Whatever Keith was going to tell her was cut by a rumble from the top of the stairs, like an explosion that moved hundreds of rocks. To her surprise, the prince got up immediately, taking a protective position. She go for her heavy ax and she prepared herself. Without her armor, she felt more agile, although she couldn’t receive impacts. Cosmo growled, settling down next to her, showing his fierce fangs and ruffling his fur to look bigger. Lights came from the top of the shattered stairs and the sound of footsteps descending put them on alert.

“Six…?” Keith ask.

“Maybe eight ... No , I think they are… ten attackers?” she regretted.

Nevertheless, they didn’t see a regiment of wizards in perfect procession, nor did they see Pidge's friends. There, in front of them, was a huge reptile, like a ten-feet-long crocodile. The creature was of an intense red and shells of black rock covered the back of it. The reptile opened its huge jaws, showing several rows of teeth like diamonds.

“Oh ... “ Pidge whispered.

“Oh ...?”

“Now I understand why the mines were abandoned.” she explained, looking for the magic arrow in her pocket “Sometimes it happens, the dwarves dig too much and find the nest of a magdragon.”

“Magdragon ...?”

She pointed to the reptile.

“A reptile that feeds on Lava Rivers and is ...” she took a step back “incredibly territorial.”

“Weaknesses?”

Pidge found the arrow and extended it to the prince.

“Only the lower part, preferably its throat, where the skin is softer.” she looked at him “But it would be risky.” she waved the arrow “Tell me, have it already recharged?”

“It is almost.” Keith looked around “And we have nowhere to run.” he looked at his wolf “Cosmo and I will give you the opportunity to attack.”

“The opportunity?” she almost yell.

Her eyes widened in surprise. The crown prince of the Xaset Clan was a suicide. That was the only logical explanation. With nothing but confidence and fortitude, the dark elf launched himself at the magdragon with his short swords. Keith's speed surprised her and the synchronized way in which his wolf and he crisscrossed paths to make the beast dizzy. All this showed her that he wasn’t a noble accustomed to the court, but a warrior ready for any battle. She clung to the handle of her ax and waited for her chance, determined to defend those two with her life. Keith and Cosmo took advantage of the fact that the creature was slow, so they run down its side and climb it. The magdragon waved its long tail, destroying more the walls and breaking the stairs in small rocks. Cosmo ascended to the head of the beast and howled loudly, Keith nailed his swords on the hard scales of the back, making the reptile raise its head in an annoying roar.

Pidge missed no chance and ran towards her prey. Cosmo jumped from the animal to avoid being attacked and she was thankful that, despite the long size, the magdragon was not too high and she could cut its throat with the edge of her ax. Not being accustomed to the lightness that the lack of armor gave her, she realized too late that at the speed she attacked, she couldn’t stop and her body will hit the beast. Something pulled  her blouse from behind and her fingers let go the handle of her ax, which ended up rolling away, at the same time she heard the beast hit the ground. Pidge fell back, surprised and watched Cosmo's eyes look at her with concern.

"I'm fine ..." she replied, stroking the animal's coat "You saved me"

Keith's steps came to her and she saw him kneel beside her, inspecting her before daring to touch her.

“I'm fine.” she calmed, looking at him carefully and feeling a certain degree of peace when noticing that the prince wasn’t hurt either  “We make a great team.”

“You didn’t hurt yourself in the battle?”

“Just a couple of bruises.” she calmed and tried to sit down, but the dizziness invaded her, so she fell back to the ground, although Keith's hand protected her head from the impact “And some dizziness ...”

“Are you always so calm?”

“If there is a solution, yes. And I always have a solution.” Pidge commented with a degree of pride “Don’t worry, my body isn’t used to rolling from one place to another constantly. It’s only that”

“I can’t help but worry ...” he confessed “But I think the arrow must be loaded.”

Pidge watched him curiously, but she extended their only exit ticket. The prince observed the luminous arrow and nodded.

“Keith ...?” she said with concern "Do you like me?"  she raised an eyebrow “Because it is my only logical explanation for your actions towards me.”

The prince watched her with surprise and just because he was holding her gently, he didn’t move away completely. Unfortunately, she was incredibly reckless.

“Well ...” he held back, studying his words, "It's ... complicated.”

“I suppose.” Pidge sat down slowly and watched the dead beast.

Cosmo at that moment ran to the animal and dragged the handle of her ax to get it below the magdragon. The wolf managed to retrieve the weapon and carry it to her feet, looking at her expectantly. Pidge smiled and caressed the faithful animal that meekly calmed under her touch. He wasn’t a pet, the wolf didn’t follow orders, he worked like a pack member and he was recognizing her as part of his family.

“You are my destined partner.” Keith said “Cosmo confirms it.”

A part of her wanted to move away. But the idea itself was fascinating to her from an analytical point of view. And deep down? Some nervousness seized her. The prince was not pressuring her and he had decided to know her. If she hadn’t been so direct, she could swear he wouldn’t have dared to tell her that information so as not to bother her. But Cosmo betrayed him in the way that the stoic and controlled Keith could not. She knew of eternal couples, many magical creatures had only one companion for life and she had heard that some races were looking for their other half, filling the compatibility with myths and romantic legends. But Keith had been pragmatic and direct. Everything was about affinity, like the elements needed to make a potion. She herself had experienced how well they synchronized and how natural the closeness of the prince was.

She loved him? Obviously not. And Keith wasn’t in love with her either. But there was _something_ there, surprising as it was. The odds of meeting almost seemed designated by superior forces and there they were.

“I don’t want to lie to you, Pidge.” the dark elf confessed “But I'm not going to press you either. Although I left the territory of my clan to find you, it was never my intention to take you with me by obligation or force you to stay by my side.”

 _Find her_.

He didn’t seem disappointed to see that his intended partner was an adventurous, mining dwarf, without a drop of royal blood and incredibly attached to battles. On the contrary, he looked at her with pride. And there she understood, it was the kind of look that someone would surely give to their partner, as if he wanted to show off how splendid she was.

His brother would die laughing when she told him that she was the destined couple of a prince.

“I get it.” it was suddenly hard to look at the prince's golden eyes; it seemed to her that it would be too easy to get used to Keith. “This is sudden...”

“But ...” he took her chin so that their eyes met “We make a good team. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, well ...” Pidge felt that the marks tattooed on her cheekbones were lost in the blush of her cheeks “I think so ...”

“I don’t usually have physical contact, but with you it is very natural.” the prince confessed “And I dare to say that it doesn’t bother you.” he slid his thumb down her cheek, shuddering. "I would be very lucky if I could keep learning from you.”

“I ...” she closed her eyes, feeling frustrated “It's not fair...” she murmured “Who in their right mind could keep their ideas cold when someone like you acts like this?”

She heard him laugh lightly, there was no mockery in that, but a kind of delight and she felt Keith's breath closer, brushing her lips.

“When I saw you the first time I felt something pull me towards you. At the beginning, I thought it was just the adrenaline rushing for escaping. But your way of analyzing everything, your firmness still in the chaos and your voice full of emotion told me that I was facing someone worthy of knowing and follow her wherever she said.” Keith whispered. “The time with you has confirmed that and much more. Similar to a weapon, you have your history and strength gained in each battle, marks for the fight and shine for the glory of the victories.”

“Keith…” she didn’t know exactly what she was doing; asking him to stop overwhelming her with sweet words or to continue until the nervousness melted inside her.

“That's the name that only my family is allowed to use.” the prince's lips came suddenly on the red mark on her right cheekbone “Forgive my sincerity, but I am aware that when I take you out of here, a time alone will be difficult being surrounded by your friends.” he kissed her forehead, as if apologizing for overwhelming her. “Until we find the wizards who organized my kidnapping and used the mines of your family. Would you allow me to try to win you?”

All right. She didn’t need to be a genius to know that the accelerated beat of her heart, the heat she felt in her face and the slight tremor in her hands were a strong indication that she had been persuaded not only to the courtship of an inheriting prince, but of ...

Pidge raised her face, captured Keith's cheeks to hold him in place and thus steal a kiss. A small and maybe childish, coming from an apprentice in the whole subject of destined couples and attraction towards, well, someone.

Her brother was going to mock her terribly...

“That ...” Keith murmured, looking at her in amazement-“ I think ...”

“Sorry.” she smiled embarrassed and shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes I'm impulsive.”

“Don’t! Please…” Keith asked urgently. "That didn’t bother me. Obviously not. But..." he pointed at the dead beast behind him." I don’t think this is the best place for this.”

“Says the person who was seducing me close to a magdragon.” she teased.

Keith smiled guiltily.

“I admit that I have no experience in this. So, I'm improvising.” the prince agreed and looked at the arrow. "But I think it's better to get out of here.”

Pidge saw him launch the arrow just as he would with a dart, it glowed in the middle and struck the stone, opening a portal outside the mine. Keith helped her up and Cosmo ran to the exit, probably hunting the outdoors. She let herself be escorted to the portal and felt the clean air outside as she passed. A few feet away, she saw her friends camping waiting for them.

Lance got up and signaled her.

“And the princess?” his friend shouted, looking around. "Pidge! Where did you leave the princess?” Lance raised an eyebrow “And who is _that_?”

She gave a lively laugh, while Hunk and the rest rushed to meet her. Keith watched them cautiously, but Cosmo remained calm beside them. Apparently, that was enough signal for the dark elf not to attack her friends.

Fortunately.

“Are you okay?” Hunk asked. "Do you need healing? What happened to your armor?”

“We are fine.” Pidge calmed and then smirked at Lance. "And just so you know, Yurak is a prince.” she made a theatrical gesture, as if inviting her friend to come closer "But you can still show off in front of him, I will not get in the way.”

Keith watched everyone with curiosity and confusion, while Lance glared at him, as if it was Keith's fault that he was _not_ a princess.

“It's an honor to meet you, Prince Yurak.” Shiro intervened, bringing calm to the situation.

“As soon as we recharge our magic, we will take you back to your clan.” Allura offered.

“I thank you all.” Keith squeezed Pidge's hand lightly. "But I expected to be allowed to join your group.”

“Oh no!” Lance shouted. "Definitely not, you're very gloomy for us. You are going to scare people away.”

“If your screams have not scared them away before, I don’t think my presence will do it.” Keith answered laconically, without really flinching.

Pidge held back laughter and only Hunk noticed that the prince was holding her hand. But for her luck, her friend only made a mocking gesture and kept the appearance, offering to prepare a few snacks before leaving. Shiro welcomed Keith and Allura volunteered to deliver a message to the Xaset Clan about the welfare of their heir.

“Welcome to the family.” Pidge murmured.

Keith leaned in her direction because she was barely above his waist. The golden gleam in the prince's eyes made her realize that he was satisfied, even with the indifferent appearance of the rest of his features.

“Someday I hope to welcome you to mine.” he confessed, before kissing her on the forehead.

Keith approached Shiro looking for help in something. She felt her heart pound as Cosmo leaned against her side, watching her curiously. Something told her that she was going to lose a battle with herself due to the direct and lethal attacks of a certain prince. But for the first time, her pride was finding defeat interesting.

“Where have I gotten?” he murmured, approaching her friends.

The look Keith gave her only confirmed that it was going to be an adventure she would never forget.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings, little creatures! Interestingly I wrote this when the last season ended, but for some reason I didn’t publish it in Spanish for a while... now I tried to translate this story into english. A very long story. So luck or death, don’t you think?
> 
> Sometimes I am ashamed of my lack of ingenuity. Clan Xaset? Did I just take "Texas" and mess up the letters? ...Gods.
> 
> Oh, whenever I can use my love to D&D I will be happy. I love this Alternate Universe.
> 
> I wanted to make the dark elves look more like the galrans. That's why the violet skin and the idea of hybrids. This way there can be powerful elves and other smaller ones.
> 
> What did you think?
> 
> Until next time! 
> 
> Nocturna IV


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